Overcoming Canon Printer’s ‘Low Ink’ or ‘Empty Cartridge’ Error

One of the common challenges when using refilled or remanufactured cartridges with your Canon printer is the often-reported error of ‘low ink’ or ’empty cartridge’. This can be frustrating, especially knowing that the cartridge has just been refilled. It’s important to remember that this is not a malfunction but a consequence of the cartridge chip continuing to report the ink levels from its previous use.

The chip on the Canon cartridge cannot be reset; hence, even after refilling, it still registers as empty when installed into a new machine. This issue is common with many refilled Canon cartridges, including the popular PG-40 & CL-41, PG-50 & CL-51, PG-540 & CL-541, PG-545 & CL-546, PG-510 & CL-511, and PG-512 & Cl-513 ranges.

Bypassing Low Ink Error

While it may seem inconvenient, there’s an easy way to stop your printer from continually reporting low ink levels. Here’s how you do it:

When the cartridge shows it’s empty (although we know this isn’t accurate), hold the printer’s stop/reset button for 5 seconds. This action overrides the warning from the cartridge chip, allowing you to continue printing as usual.

By doing this, you’ll disable the status monitor in your Canon printer. While this means you’ll no longer receive updates about your ink levels, the upside is the freedom to enjoy the cost savings from using refilled or remanufactured Canon cartridges without those pesky alerts.

Monitoring Your Ink Levels

Once you’ve disabled the status monitor, you’ll need to manually monitor the print quality from these cartridges. When you notice that your printouts start to fade, it’s a likely sign that the ink levels are running low and the cartridges will need replacing.

Also, remember to disregard any ‘Print Quality’ alerts that your printer might give you. These alerts are automatic responses triggered by the installation of a used cartridge. Despite these warnings, the cartridges should work fine until they run out of ink.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why does my Canon printer still show low ink after refilling the cartridge? The chip on the cartridge continues to report the ink level from its previous use, and since it can’t be reset, it still shows as low or empty even after a refill.
2. How can I stop my Canon printer from showing low ink levels? You can stop this by holding the printer’s stop/reset button for 5 seconds when the cartridge reports as empty. This will override the warning and disable the status monitor.
3. Will my printer work normally if I disable the status monitor? Yes, your printer will function as usual, but it won’t provide updates about ink levels. Therefore, you need to keep an eye on print quality to determine when the cartridges need to be replaced.
4. Should I be worried about ‘Print Quality’ alerts after installing a used cartridge? No, these alerts are automatic responses from your printer. The cartridges will continue to work effectively until they run out of ink.